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There are no studies to support if ALS can be prevented or not. However, one can reduce the possibility of acquiring the disease by knowing various risk factors. The risk factors associated with ALS include smoking and exposure to pesticides and insecticides. In addition to that, another report suggests that people who have served in the military can also have high risks of developing ALS.

Caucasians and non-Hispanics are most likely to develop the disease. About 5 to 10 percent of all ALS cases are familial, which means that an individual inherits the disease from his or her parents. ALS can strike at any age, symptoms most commonly develop between the ages of 55 and 75. It is slightly more likely to develop in men than in women. However, as we age the difference between men and women disappears. Furthermore, some studies suggest that military veterans are about 1.5 to 2 times more likely to develop ALS because of toxin exposure during warfare.

Researchers have suggested that exposure to toxins during warfare, or strenuous physical activity, are possible reasons for why some veterans and athletes may be at increased risk of developing ALS.

The early symptoms of ALS include muscle twitches in the arm, leg, shoulder, or tongue, muscle cramps, tight and stiff muscles (spasticity), muscle weakness affecting an arm, a leg, neck or diaphragm, slurred and nasal speech and difficulty in chewing or swallowing. For many individuals the first sign of ALS may appear in the hand or arm as they experience difficulty with simple tasks such as buttoning a shirt, writing, or turning a key in a lock. In other cases, symptoms initially affect one of the legs, and people experience awkwardness when walking or running or they notice that they are tripping or stumbling more often.